


A Quiet Night

by Plenicelune



Series: Detroit: Become Human Vignettes [5]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Gavin Reed Needs a Hug, M/M, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-25
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-27 04:03:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17154947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Plenicelune/pseuds/Plenicelune
Summary: Detective Gavin Reed was a man full of unpredictability.When the holidays were fast approaching, everyone clamored to finish all their paper works before the designated date of the vacation. The overall productivity of the precinct boosted up. People wrestled with each other to bargain last minute for vacation leaves to avoid working on the holidays, or set up their shifts that would allow them to spend even just a day or two off. All except his partner.





	A Quiet Night

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own the characters.
> 
> The holidays always make me really sad, so I wrote something to cope :'D  
> No beta, will fix my mistakes when no one is looking

Detective Gavin Reed was a man full of unpredictabilities.

When the holidays were fast approaching, everyone clamored to finish all their paper works before the designated date of the vacation. The overall productivity of the precinct boosted up. People wrestled with each other to bargain last minute for vacation leaves to avoid working on the holidays, or set up their shifts that would allow them to spend even just a day or two off. All except his partner.

RK900 has been Gavin's partner close to a year now, and he knew what Gavin was like when he's procrastinating and when he's purposely avoiding doing something. Gavin wasn't doing any paperwork, or if he was, the progress was slow. The pace wouldn't make sense because most of the files needed to be written down were already complete in details.

RK900 offered to help with the load, and normally Gavin would happily dump them all on RK900's desk, but this time, Gavin just shook his head.

“Can't have you the only one writing the reports,” Gavin said. There wasn't any underlying emotion in his tone, but RK900 could tell it was the end of the conversation.

When RK900 checked the precinct’s employee shifts, he was surprised to see that Gavin swapped with Officer Chris Miller, who was one of the officers supposed to patrol during Christmas Eve. For the remaining vacation days, Gavin opted to work too.

“Yeah, well the man has a kid, he should spend Christmas with his family,” Gavin said when RK900 asked. “Always happy to help a colleague out.”

“Captain Fowler allowed you to patrol? It's not within your immediate line of work,” RK900 pressed on.

Gavin shrugged. “He wouldn't say no to a willing employee who volunteered to patrol during the holidays.”

There was a lot in RK900's tongue and mind, trying to piece together the instabilities that Gavin unknowingly created both in his software and in the balance of their daily dynamics. But the look on Gavin's face, calm and patient, something so rare and out of place, waiting for RK900 to speak again because he probably looked like he has got more to say, stopped RK900 completely.

Being tied to Gavin Reed as partners, without any choice, forced to endure the man’s brash attitude and animosity towards androids, was the catalyst of many things for RK900. There was not much room for anything else, with Gavin being one of the people RK900 could interact at a personal level, and being the only person he spent the most time with. Gavin tested RK900's patience and poise in crucial situations—most of which Gavin himself created, made RK900's feature capabilities of adapting to human unpredictability almost look like a joke with just how volatile Gavin was, and filled RK900's repository with pure raw data—difficult to parse—on the complexities of being flawed and human and an asshole.

And the one of the most surprising of all, Gavin taught RK900 longing.

RK900 knew there was something deeply rooted in his partner’s life, something beyond the corners of Detroit Police Department, beyond RK900. Out of reach, but still managed to root itself to everything Gavin did and would have done. Not an excuse enough to absolve Gavin of his wrongdoings, but enough of a reason to understand him and start somewhere.

Suppose humans and androids were compared side to side, it was without a doubt that androids would win in efficiency. But the depth and vastness of the human psyche: in control but barely controllable, dubious in its decisions on which lived experience to mold or destroy itself with, and certain in the emotions it lets the body overtake.

RK900 _wants_ Gavin and his intensity, because being with him is like an apology to RK900's clipped emotional range. He was initially made to forgo the ability to create feelings, _because look where it had gotten his predecessor_ , but with Gavin, he's slowly changing himself. Little by little, an override on his programmed response and resulting feelings—or lack thereof—to the actions Gavin did. With Connor's help, RK900 knew which overrides were beneficial and which were detrimental.

If only he could do the same to Gavin.

It was RK900’s predicament, and Connor’s déjà vu.

From time to time, RK900 and Connor would update each other with the happenings of their lives through the wireless connection between each other. Through their communications, RK900 eventually found that Connor has experienced the exact same situation with Hank. For all their affections and intimacies now, there was a gritty and unstable origin story.

That wasn’t to say RK900 was entirely keen on the hard work and intense acclimation he has to endure to get Gavin to let RK900 him, to trust him. He knew of Connor’s experience; Connor’s then confusion and denial of his fixation to be in good terms with the Lieutenant, having thought it would be of importance to his ultimate mission, when really it was the first pretense of deviancy within him. An unexpected ability supposed to be impossible for androids: falling in love.

Was RK900 going through the same thing? He didn’t want to address it in depth yet.

Or perhaps, it was something only the future could tell.

Though now, Gavin was showing a semblance of the very thing RK900 wanted from him but couldn’t ask. Perhaps basic decency, or civility. Perhaps Gavin’s vulnerability.

But it didn’t count. Gavin’s change of behavior was highly influenced by the holidays, an external factor, though important and one of the only links to Gavin’s root personal problem, was only temporary.

RK900 couldn’t have it for himself; he didn’t earn it.

“Nines?” Gavin asked. _Not tin can, or toaster, or terminator_. “Something on your mind that you wanna tell me?”

It was a genuine inquiry, and not his passive-aggressive taunts that he'd use against someone so he could blow up.

“No, Detective,” RK900 said.

No aggressiveness, no angry outbursts. The nearer the holiday was, the quieter and seemingly placated Gavin got. Even the entire station noticed the change in their colleague, including Hank and Connor. Tina would keep inviting Gavin to hang out with her in the bar or accompany her with her family. Chris invited Gavin to join his Christmas barbeque party. Hank, with Connor’s insistence, offered a place to crash or drink beer.

All of which Gavin politely refused.

RK900 didn’t know what to do, what to expect with Gavin’s new mood. It put him at great unease.

On the day before Christmas Eve, when it was obvious that Gavin wouldn’t budge, people conceded. Chris brought barbequed steak wrapped in tin foil, Tina brought holiday casserole and gave Gavin a long peck on the cheek. They said it would be something for Gavin while he was on duty, so he didn’t have to bother looking for an open place to eat.

With all the people hovering on Gavin’s desk, RK900 went to see Captain Fowler.

* * *

When RK900 arrived at the central station, he half-expected Gavin to be illegally drinking on his desk. But there's a steady stream of tapping on the computer console and the light of his monitor bounced off from his face, illuminating the scar on Gavin’s nose. Most of the lights were switched off, save for the ones at the entrance.

Gavin didn’t look up right away as RK900 approached, but when he did, there was neither surprise nor annoyance on his face.

It was more like he was expecting it.

“Good evening, Detective,” RK900 greeted. “Have you eaten yet?”

“I forgot to bring some food from my house,” Gavin said. “I’ll go back after I’m done with these files and before I start patrolling.”

Gavin returned his attention to his terminal. A quick scan told him that Gavin’s physical and mental statuses were the same as they were days ago: stress levels moderate, and slight anxiety and fatigue.

“No need to, Connor and Hank made me bring these,” RK900 said, presenting the lunchbox he was carrying.

“Hank and Connor huh?” Gavin said. “How nice of them.”

The rest of their duration in the station was silent, with Gavin concentrating in finishing all the paper works before his patrol shift starts. There was no protests from him when RK900 asked for some files to work on. RK900 didn't want to break the silence and concentration between them, so he let himself immerse, though always keeping Gavin in his peripheral.

It gave RK900 plenty of time to think about a lot of things, most of which were centered around Gavin.

_“Were you sure about Hank?”_

_“He wasn't the sole cause of my deviancy. But after everything was said and done, Hank was still there. Having free will after being a machine was exciting but still overwhelming. He made sense and gave me direction and it was all that mattered.”_

The next time Gavin spoke to him that night was when all the files were stacked neatly on Fowler's desk, and Gavin was putting his leather jacket on.

“You don't have to patrol with me.” Gavin said. “I can handle watching snow pile up on the street on my own. I won't tell Fowler.”

“It is my responsibility to do my task,” RK900 said.

Gavin finished wearing his jacket and fully turned to face RK900. Their eyes met.

“Nines,” he said softly, his expression matching. “Don't ruin your first Christmas experience on me. Go back to Hank and Connor and Sumo; celebrate the holidays. I'll be fine. I always have been.”

RK900 didn't know what he was searching for in Gavin's eyes, but he found loneliness and sincerity. He didn't want to leave.

“I would really much like to stay and accompany you, but if you'd prefer me to go, I also would. I respect whatever your decision.” RK900 said, though reluctantly.

Gavin held their eyes a while longer, before he shook his head and turned away. He fetched one of the patrol car keys and headed for the exit. For a moment, RK900 felt a software instability. He hesitated, unsure if he should follow

“You're your own boss now, right? You decide for yourself.” Gavin said, looking back.

His voice echoed throughout the empty station. And just like that his software corrected itself. RK900 followed Gavin outside.

“But if you don't want me here…” RK900 trailed off.

Gavin didn't reply, just kept walking towards the police car that went with the key. He stopped when he was at the driver's door.

“It's not that I don't want you here,” Gavin said. “I was just making sure nothing is compelling you to stay here with me. Because we're partners or some crap.”

“I assure you, I'm here on my own volition.” RK900 said.

“Why?” Gavin asked.

The distance where they stand apart from each other, RK900 would muse later, was quintessential to how they stand emotionally. Theoretically easy to remedy, like crossing the distance, but practically difficult to accomplish, because the actual path was filled with obstacles. And the Gavin in front of him was winded down, fragile and tired, and who knew when he’d be back to being an asshole, he’d be going and going until he’s gone again, until things were back in their usual order.

Until RK900 has nothing left but this moment.

“Because it made sense,” RK900 said. “I prefer being here more than being anywhere else. I am not entirely sure why, but I trust in my sentiments.”

The long pregnant silence again. RK900 didn’t have anything else to say, so he just basked in the moment, because it may be the only one. He stared at Gavin’s form, counting the snowflakes coming to rest on the man’s shoulders and back.

The car chirped, activated. The driver’s door opened. Gavin got inside.

“Well, come on now,” Gavin said. He smiled, so achingly rare and all for RK900. “What are you waiting for?”

RK900 allowed himself to smile back. “Coming, Gavin.”

**Author's Note:**

> I was about to make it longer but I'm just itching to post this so I don't have to worry about forgetting this entirely. Please tell me how you feel about this :(
> 
> Follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/plenicelune)?


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